Ventilation of sepulchral memorials.



A. W.- GRAHAM,

VENTILATION 0F SEPULCHRAL MEMORIALS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1915.

1 9 1 9%,62 1 Patented July 25, 1916.

w 1 3 if Elma/"tor wwmuooeo W 2m g g/ 24) ANDREW W. GRAHAM, OF BUFFALO, NEW, YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'I'O ELLIS M.

' TREAT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

VENTILATION OF SEPULCHRAL MEMORIALS.

Application fiIed September 4, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ventilation of Sepulchral Memorials, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to the ventilation of sepulchral memorials and especially to the ventilation of memorials of this type wherein separate spaces are provided for memento mom and the reception of caskets.

One principal object of the invention is to provide improved ventilating means for casket receiving compartments of the above described class.

A second object of the invention is to provide improved means for ventilating the space above the caskets.

A third object of the invention is to provide improved means for ventilating the upper or memorial part of such a structure.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in the general combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which likedesignating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a sepulchral memorial construction in accordance with this invention, and Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1 certain parts being broken away. r In the present invention there is disclosed a part A which will be hereinafter referred to as the memorial and a part B hereinafter'referred to as the sepulchral or casketreceiving compartment. It is to be understood, however, that the part B in the present application may or may not form a foundation for the part A since, under the present invention, the part A may be set at a distance from the part B as no communication, other than that of the ventilating de' vices, is necessary between the two parts. However, in the present illustration of the invention as shown in the drawings the memorial is placed above the sepulcher so that the latter may act as the foundation for Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Serial No, 48,972.

the memorial and thus avoid the necessity of a separate support for the heavy superposed weight of such memorial.

The general construction of the device is that explained in the copending application a'bovementioned and consists of outer walls 10 and a su'bfioor 11 formed in suitable molds of concrete or the like. A moisture proof lining 12 is applied to the inner surface of this part 13 throughout its entire extent. This lining may be of any preferred water resisting material and in some instances it is preferred to make the lining of sheet metal such as copper or other corrosion resisting metal. It is to be understood that the edges of the sheets are united in any desired manner, as by soldering, braz ing, welding or the like so that a water tight box is formed. After this is done the mold for the inner walls 15 is placed in position and these walls and the floor 16 formed of concrete in the usual manner.

The part A ormemorial is erected on any suitable foundation, the sepulcher preferably being utilized for this purpose. hatever foundation is used there is first placed thereon a base stone 27 having a groove and rib connection 28 with the foundation. On this is placed the surbase 29 connected to the base by a groove and rib connection 30. On the sur-base is erected the body of the memorial which is here shown as having rear panels 31 each of which is formed with an integral slab of stone and front panels 32 which are similarly formed. Also the end panels, not shown, are formed integral as in the copending application above re ferred to. The spaces in the front and back walls between the panels are filled with simi lar bronze closures 33, the front closure being provided with a swinging door 34, it being obvious that this door may be a sliding door or a lift door as desired. In each of the center panels of these closures, and if desired in the side panels thereof, there is set a heavy glass plate such as is shown as at 35, this plate being preferably one and onehalf inches thick. The frame for these closures are preferably hollow as indicated at 36 for the purpose of lightness. On the side walls is placed the lower roof stone 37 which is recessed interiorly as at 38 and supports the main roof stone 39 having depending integral (lentils 40 or the like. which serve to prevent movement of one roof stone horizontally with respect to the other. The exterior of the memorial is suitably ornamented in any preferred manner and the side and end members, and in fact all vertical joints, are preferably of the dove-tailed type illustrated in the copending applica= tion above referred to.

The entire interior of the memorial is lined with heavy plate glass with the exception of the inner sides of the closures 33 and the floor, the roof lining being shown at 40 where it will be seen that this roof lining is spaced below the stone 37. It will also be noted that a space is left between the stones 37 and 39 as illustrated at 41. The purpose of this is for ventilation as will now be explained. In order to ventilate the sepulcher, I provide a vertical pipe 42 which extends from the interior of the sepulcher up through the rear closure 33 to a box 43 formed in the hollow of the closure and from this boX 43 a pipe 44 leads upward to the space between thestones 37 and 39 so that air may flow outward to a space between the dentils as indicated at 45. At the bottom of the rear closure 33 there are provided air inlets 46 which preferably communicate with a compartment 47 in the hollow rear closure and from this compartment there extends downward a pipe 48 leading into the sepulcher. At the lower end of this pipe 48 is a swivel joint 49 to which is connected a pipe 50 so arranged that it may, when the sepulcher is entirely empty, hang within a few inches of the floor but when the sepulcher is occupied by one or more coffins 51 embedded in the usual manner in cement as indicated at 52, the pipe 50 may rest on top of the cement. By this means the cooler air will flow in through the Vents 46, and down through the vent-pipe 48 and vent pipe 50, passing outward through the vent pipe 42, box or compartment 43 andvent pipe 44. In this connection it should be observed that the surface of the boX or compartment 43 being eX- posed to the heat of the sun will greatly assist the ventilation as it will warm up the ascending column of air. In order to ventilate the memorial I provide other ventila tors such as those shown at 53 .and these ventilators open into the interior of the memorial through suitable openings 54. There is also provided in the upper part of the memorial at the center of the roof glass 40 an opening 55, the under side of which is protected from view by a suitable perforated and ornamented cover plate 56 and immediately above the openings the stone 37 is provided with an opening 57 which communicates with the space 41. Thus the cooler air can pass in through the vents 53 and openings 54 and flow upward and out through the space 41. In order to improve the circulation of this a1r I provide in the one of the ventilators 46 as indicated at 59.

From this compartment leads a pipe which extends upward into the opening 57 as indicated at 61, the pipe thus acting as a jet pipe. When the heat of the sun strikes the exterior of the compartment 58 the air in such compartment is heated up and the circulation is established which tends to cause a rapid flow of air through thepipe 60 so that the air escaping from the up turned end 61 acts as an injector blast to in crease the flow of air through the openings 55 and 57.

At a suitable place in one of the walls or the floor of the upper compartment there is provided a box 62 from which a series of pipes 63 lead to the upper part of the casket receiving compartment and are provided at their lower ends with unions 64 so that pipes 65 may be connected at will to each of the caskets in its concrete embedment in order to carry off the gases of decomposition and the like. This compartment 62 is provided with a cover 66 which opens into the memorial proper, so that access may be had to valves 67 controlling the passage of the gases into the box or compartment 62. It is preferred that the boX 62 communicate by a pipe 68 with the ventilation space in the upper part of the structure although such pipe may either be dispensed with and the necessary free escape of gases affected by opening the door 66 or such'pipe may be connected to any suitable form of suction pump (not illustrated) as may be desired. It will be seen that under these conditions each casket with its surrounding concrete forms a separate burial compartment from which the gases can freely pass without interfering with the main burial compartment or sepulcher.

There has thus been provided a highly efficient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.v

It is obvious that many minor changes may be made in the form of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. I I

What I claim as new is':

1. The combination with a sepulcher located beneaththe ground anda memorial structure located above the ground; of a vent pipe leading from the bottom of the 'memorial to the bottom of the sepulcher,

and a second vent pipe leading from the top of the sepulcher to the top of the memorial.

2. The combination with a sepulcher located beneath the ground and a memorial structure located above theground; of a vent pipe leading from the bottom of the memorial, to the bottom of the sepulcher and provided with a swivel joint immediately beneath the roof of the sepulcher, and a second vent pipe leading from the top of the sepulcher to the top of the memorial.

3. The combination with a sepulcher located beneath the ground and a memorial structure located above the ground and having inlet vents in its lower part and vertically spaced roof stones, of a vent pipe leading from one of the inlet vents to the bottom of the sepulcher, and a second vent pipe leadin from the top of the sepulcher to the space between the roof stones of the memorial.

4:. The combination with a sepulcher located beneath the ground and a memorial structure located above the ground and having inlet vents at its lower part and vertically spaced roof stones, the memorial further having a side wall provided with a metallic chamber having a surface exposed to the suns rays; of a vent pipe leading from one of the inlet vents to the bottom of the sepulcher and provided with a swivel joint immediately beneath the roof of the sepulcher, and a second vent pipe having one section which leads from the top of the sepulcher to the metallic chamber and a second section which leads from the metallic chamher to the space between the roof stones.

5. A memorial structure having side walls and vertically spaced roof stones, the lower roof stone having an opening therethrough communicating with the space between the roof stones, there being inlet vents in the lower part of the side walls and there being a metallic chamber in one of the side walls having a surface exposed to external heat, a vent pipe leading from one of the inlet vents to the chamber, and a second vent pipe leading from the chamber and having an outlet end turned up into the opening in the lower roof stone; in combination with a sepulcher beneath the memorial, and ventilating pipes leading from the sepulcher to the metallic chamber.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW WV. GRAHAM.

\Vitnesses:

L. N. GILLIs, ALBERT POPKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

